Wilmington, NC News

Archive for July, 2014

RALEIGH, NC (AP) — A new District Court judge appointed by Gov. Pat McCrory was previously reprimanded for professional misconduct by the North Carolina State Bar.

McCrory on Monday appointed Michael A. Stone of Raeford to a state judicial seat in Hoke County.

McCrory spokesman Rick Martinez says the governor knew about Stone’s reprimand before naming him as a judge, but didn’t think one past mistake should disqualify him from consideration.

Records on file with Stone’s law license show he was issued a written reprimand in 1998 after he and a law partner conducted real estate closings that were handled by assistants with no lawyer present. The State Bar concluded Stone and his partner didn’t properly supervise their staff members and failed to review deeds and other important legal documents before they were filed.

(Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

MYRTLE BEACH, SC (AP) — A former member of the R&B group Destiny’s Child has been arrested near Myrtle Beach.

Online records show 33-year-old Farrah Franklin was booked into the Horry County jail just before 5 a.m. Sunday on a charge of disorderly conduct.

Franklin was released several hours later after posting $280 bond. Court records listed no attorney for her, and no details of her arrest were immediately available.

Franklin and Michelle Williams joined Destiny’s Child to replace two original members in 2000. Franklin left the group months later, and the remaining trio served to launch the solo careers of Williams, Kelly Rowland and Beyoncé.

(Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

HILLSBOROUGH, NC (AP) — This week’s scheduled hearing for five people charged with violating North Carolina’s sports agent law by providing benefits to former Tar Heels football players has been postponed.

Orange County district attorney Jim Woodall said Monday that the hearing originally set for Wednesday is on hold until a later date that hasn’t yet been set.

Prosecutors have provided tens of thousands of investigative records to defense attorneys for review. It’s unclear when the case could reach a trial.

A grand jury indicted the defendants in September for violating the state’s Uniform Athlete Agent Act by providing benefits to former players Marvin Austin, Greg Little and Robert Quinn in 2010. The defendants include a Georgia-based sports agent and a former UNC tutor.